Bloodlust and Vengeance
by SimmerSoftly
Summary: When you've never really known what family was, would you do anything in your power to get it? Would you risk your life for a cause you weren't certain about? Would you choose your heart over loyalty, if you didn't know where either lay? Well, she might.
1. I

Bloodlust and Vengeance  
~SimmerSoftly

A/N: Yes, this is my baby. I love this fanfiction with everything. I have nursed it from something suck-y to something hopefully amazing. At least me and my friends like it. Hopefully you will too. I've been working on this since about two years ago, and at first it was great, until my writing style changed. Then I tried to re-write it multiple times, all failures. But this one is a success! ENJOY! OH, and I like reviews. :)

**Prologue: The Past**

"........Rukia," Yuri said, his voice cold. The room was extremely dark, his Sharingan standing out like a light. His arms were crossed casually across his chest and he was leaning against a wall. He was wearing his usual gear, Anbu Black Ops uniform, though two short swords were strapped across his back. His long spiky red hair was pulled back in a high ponytail, its ends splayed out behind him on the wall.

"Yu-chan... what's going on?" Rukia asked in a small voice, confusion and worry painted on her child-like face. Her yellow cat eyes were already filling with tears, dread filling her rapidly beating heart. She could clearly make out the figure of her brother across the room from her. A dark tinted stain was on the door and the carpet beneath him. She could almost smell the rust.

Yuri appeared in front of Rukia's bed in an instant, his finger sliding into her mouth with ease. A metallic coppery taste filled her mouth as he rubbed his finger on her tongue.

Rukia coughed, her eyes becoming the color of the most beautiful sunset. Her fangs grew slightly, extending into sharp points. "Why Yu-chan?" she whispered, recognizing that it was her own parents blood that was covering her eldest brothers hands. An intense urge filled her. The urge to kill.

Yuri's eyes were cold for a moment, then filled with something akin to sorrow. "I'll explain later Ru-chan; it's too long of a story for now." His body melted into a small pool of blood, which dried up almost instantly, leaving a small brown stain.

Overwhelming power erupted through Rukia's small frame. Her body acted on its own accord, almost flying out of her small bed. The sheets that were covering her were ripped off and tossed to the floor. She ran through the house at inhuman speed, searching. Her small silk nightgown billowing out behind her. Blood was boiling in her veins.

**Chapter 1: The Present**

_'Do they ever shut up?!' _thought Rukia angrily. She sat near the back of the class, close to the door. Her hands were over her ears trying to block out the noise. A blonde haired girl was arguing with a girl with oddly colored pink hair to see who would sit next to some "Sasuke" kid. There was also a blonde, spiky haired boy getting frustrated at all the attention given to the other boy. His bright orange clothes irritated Rukia senseless. Rukia already had a headache from an earlier lapse in her judgment, but because there was so much commotion her headache had spiraled into a full-blown migraine. Not to mention that her lapse in judgment had her blood simmering.

To Rukia's utter amazement, someone was sleeping through it all. She closed her eyes again, trying to escape into her own little world. It got very quiet all of a sudden and Rukia breathed a sigh of relief. Then, in the next instant, loud screams and the whole class erupted in laughter.

Rukia couldn't handle it anymore. She jumped up, knocking her chair onto the floor, and slamming her hands on her desk. "Shut up!" she yelled.

Silence; everyone stopped talking and stared up at her. "Thank you," she said calmly. Getting her chair, she sat back down and closed her eyes to the world again. Her blood was slowly beginning to calm, but she could tell she would need sustenance soon.

The class remained silent, but the tension in the air was ridiculous. All the students were surprised at the girls' outburst and they were anxious for Iruka-sensei to finally enter the classroom. He was late, and that wasn't like Iruka-sensei.

The girl who had been sleeping had awoken during Rukia's outburst, and was bothering a girl with short blue-black hair and odd lavender eyes.

There was a light tap on Rukia's shoulder, a zap of static electricity. She automatically tensed, her blood erupting to a boil again, but looked up to see who had the balls to bother her. It was just a boy. He had black hair and honey colored eyes. There was something strange about him though, and it sent a small chill down her spine.

"Is this seat taken?" he asked, pointing to the obviously empty chair next to her.

"Uh-no, no you can sit there," she replied, watching him warily. He smiled thanks and sat down, his bag falling to the floor next to him. Rukia could feel the electric current running through the boy's body.

"My name is Kenoske, Niwa Kenoske," he said to her, interrupting her speculation of him. He smiled wide at her, and it reached his honey eyes.

"I'm Rukia," she said, not bothering to say her last name. Her lips moved in the slightest curve of a smile.

"Nice to meet you Rukia," he said back, his gaze wandering around the classroom. It was almost full, but still no Iruka-sensei.

Rukia tilted her head forward, letting her red violet bangs fall in her face. Brushing one side away and behind her ears, she sighed. She looked over at Kenoske, whose face was as unfamiliar as the rest of them. She could tell he was about her age, maybe a little younger, but definitely not as young as the rest of the class. He had gorgeous black hair that was slightly spiky, but not annoyingly so like the orange-clad kid. It looked utterly soft. From what she could see, he was wearing a dark green, almost black, long sleeve button-up shirt and fish-net underneath. Black fingerless gloves with golden knuckle studs adorned his hands. When he turned to dig into his bag, Rukia saw wings etched in gold thread on the back of his shirt.

Kenoske noticed that Rukia was giving him a one over out of the corner of his eye. He waited until she was thoroughly finished to actually look at her. Rukia had started to adjust her bangs, and Kenoske took quick action to glance her way. A dark emerald cloak flowed around her. A long sleeve fish-net shirt with the left sleeve cut off at the elbow was underneath a deep v-neck shirt that was plum in color. The amount of cleavage was enough to tell Kenoske that she _wasn't_ young. What looked to be a black skirt was at her waist, but Kenoske wasn't sure. Her red violet hair fell gracefully on her back. Her skin was very pale. Her eyes though, were extremely strange. She had yellow eyes, very cat-like.

"Alright class," said Iruka-sensei as he came in the door, fifteen minutes late. "We have decided that you all will be split up into teams. Teams of three to be precise." There were many annoyed comments and a few happy ones.

"Settle down class," Iruka-sensei told them. Rukia really didn't care if they had to be on teams of three as long as that orange-clad boy was not on her team. And as long as her team helped her complete her mission. Kenoske wasn't surprised. He knew one of the reasons had to be that he, and apparently Rukia too, were older than the other students. They waited patiently for their name to be called, wondering who would be on their team.

Then "Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, and Uzumaki Naruto" interrupted Rukia's thoughts. She glanced up; desperately trying to locate the Sasuke kid those girls had been talking about. Finally, she located Sasuke and knew that it was, in fact, the Uchiha she knew. Or, at least, knew his brother. She covered her face in her bangs and listened for her name to come. _'They hadn't told me _he_ would be here...'_

"And finally, Team 13, Niwa Kenoske, Uchihara Rukia, and Akamatsu Hisana," called Iruka-sensei to the class. Rukia tensed as she heard the final name called. The girl shared her father's last name.

"Will Hisana, Kenoske, and Rukia stay after for just a minute before going to lunch," Iruka-sensei asked to the class while the other students got up to go off to lunch. Rukia waited to see who this "Akamatsu" girl was. To her surprise, the girl who had been sleeping earlier was the only other student left besides Kenoske and herself. She had light brown pixie-like hair. A beautiful dark blue kimono was wrapped around her, with black shorts underneath. The kimono barely reached mid-thigh.

_'Maybe she isn't as dangerous as my father was...'_ thought Rukia, _'She doesn't even seem to recognize my name. Maybe she's of a different branch.' _

They all approached Iruka. Hisana was wondering why she had to stay. All she wanted to do was eat. Ramen, particularly. She hadn't eaten all day.

Standing there next to Rukia, Kenoske realized he was right. She was wearing a skirt. A mini skirt. It was shockingly short. On her feet were ballet-like black shoes.

"Okay," started Iruka-sensei, "Because all of you are significantly older than the rest of the class, you are on the same team. Also, because of this factor, you need a special sensei to watch over your training. Someone who has already been a previous sensei. We are currently looking for that sensei so you all don't have one as of yet."

Iruka paused, judging their reaction. Rukia's face was an impassable wall, Kenoske's was peacefully calm, and Hisana had a simply bored expression on her pale face. Rukia stood next to Kenoske, but there was a noticeable space in between. Hisana sat on one of the tables, legs crossed.

"I'm correct that you all have some sort of home here in the village, yes?" Iruka asked, looking from yellow to honey to blue and brown eyes. Honey eyes nodded, as did blue and brown. Yellow, however, looked towards the ground.

"Rukia, oh my, I'm sorry. I'd forgotten. Do you have any place you can stay?" asked Iruka-sensei, blushing at his mistake. The Hokage had already told him yesterday that she had no home, but Iruka had no idea how truthful that statement was. Rukia had no home, _anywhere_.

"I've been camped out in the woods for a few days now... I'm fine with staying there," Rukia said, eyes still on the ground.

"She can stay with me," Kenoske said after a moment of deliberating. Rukia looked up at him, confused at why he would do that for her. They may be teammates, but they had only just met. She watched him with wary eyes. She didn't want this boy to be another lapse in her failing judgment.

"If Rukia is alright with that, then it's fine. You're almost adults as it is," Iruka said, smiling.

"Su-sure, I guess that's fine," Rukia said, still confused and cautious.

"Okay, well we will look for your sensei tonight and he or she will meet you at the bridge tomorrow morning. Sound good?" Iruka-sensei asked them. Rukia and Kenoske nodded their heads. Hisana had decided to lie down in the middle of the conversation and just put her arm up in a thumbs up to show her approval.

"Alright then. You can all go to lunch and get to know each other better."


	2. II

A/N: Enjoy!

**Chapter 2: First Impressions**

We left the classroom together. Kenoske and Hisana were both holding brown paper bags; they'd brought their own lunch. I, on the other hand, walked out with nothing. I wasn't in the mood for eating though. There were far too many things that needed thinking about.

Mostly Hisana.

Who was this girl? I had never once met another Akamatsu, but I had only known my father. Hisana didn't appear to be much of a threat, but if the Akamatsu bloodline flowed as strongly in her as it did in me, there was going to be some issues... extremely dangerous, life-threatening issues.

Kenoske interrupted my train of thought. "Hey Rukia, do you want one of my apples? I brought two, so it's not a problem."

I looked over at him. His honey eyes seemed innocent and needy. "Uh-no, I'm fine," I said, gracing him with a small smile.

Kenoske didn't argue. Good boy.

We had wandered around the Ninja Academy, Hisana and Kenoske eating while we walked. It was quiet. Just the way I like it. The birds were chirping away, and there was a slight breeze in the air. It was very calming. I felt my tension, which up until that moment I'd been oblivious to having, dissipate. I breathed a deep sigh, looking up into the clouds.

"So, Rukia," Hisana suddenly said, interrupting the peace, "You know what's kind of funny?"

"Hm?" I replied, trying to sound uninterested. I glanced out of the corner of my eye towards her. She wasn't looking at me.

"Well, your name sounds a lot like Uchiha Sasuke's last name," Hisana said. She glanced my way, curiosity on her face but not in her eyes. Her eyes seemed dead, emotionless.

I have seen pictures of my father's family. All of them were pure-blood Akamatsu. All of them had deliciously warm, golden eyes. Welcoming you into their web of torture. Hisana, however, had one blue eye and one brown. Both were cold, lifeless, and listless. Not something I'd seen in any picture of an Akamatsu. It was rather creepy.

"Yes, I suppose it does, doesn't it?" I replied back after a moment, allowing the slightest curves of a smirk emerge. I wanted to test her. See if those eyes were really dead.

"What's so funny?" Hisana asked her face and voice portraying annoyance; her eyes portraying nothing.

"Oh, nothing. You said it was kind of funny, and I was simply agreeing with you," I said, throwing a hint of sarcasm in my voice. Hisana's mouth became a tight line, but her eyes showed no anger, no hatred, and no annoyance.

We fell into silence again, continually walking around the building. Kenoske frequently looked back-and-forth between the two of us girls, probably wondering what just happened and if we were okay.

Hisana was done with her lunch first, Kenoske intent on taking his time. Finally, Kenoske seemed to be content with himself and done with his lunch. He stopped walking, and in turn so did we.

"Hey Hisana, where exactly do you live?" Kenoske asked, caution in his eyes. He probably didn't want Hisana to take it the wrong way.

"Just a little way past Ichiraku Ramen. It's really easy to find. My house is the small blue one, the only single square in the area. Why?" Hisana asked. I heard the questioning tone in her voice, but I watched her dead eyes like a hawk. Nothing there.

"Just so me and Rukia could come by your place in the morning to get you so we can go meet our sensei together," he suggested. "It'd be easier than trying to meet up anywhere and we'd all be there on time."

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Hisana said, her voice displaying enthusiasm, but her eyes were stone. "I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow then."

Hisana began walking away in what I assumed was the direction of her home.

And then there were two. Just Kenoske and I.

"So..." Kenoske said, trying to make conversation. It didn't work too well. I simply stared at him, waiting for him to go on.

"Uh-um, well, did you want to go see my place now?" Kenoske asked very awkwardly. It was then I knew he had offered me shelter as a comrade, not a lover. Thank god.

"Sure, but I need to go fetch my things first," I replied, beginning to walk in the general direction of the forest.

"Wait up! I'll go too!" Kenoske said, jogging to catch up to me. I am a very fast walker.

Kenoske was quiet as we walked, occasionally glancing at the people that we passed. He seemed anxious. I could see his eyes drifting towards me every now and then.

We made it to the gate, and as we passed underneath a chill went down my spine. It wasn't necessarily out of fear, but more so out of familiarity. I paused in my walk, while Kenoske continued ahead. I tried to resist the urge to look up, silently praying it wasn't one of _them_.

Finally, I caved. I looked up, my eyes darting to the gates highest peak.

My eyes rested on the red and black cloak for less than a second before inexorably being drawn to the twin pools of gold. The molten golden eyes locked with mine, the light reflecting there as if it was filled with golden flakes.

I exhaled deeply, surprise and relief washing over me. My blood was starting to boil though, but that always happened when he was near.

Kenoske apparently had noticed my stop, and as he sauntered over I felt his presence.

I wanted to move, to look away from the hauntingly beautiful eyes. My gazing seemed to last for hours, but it was only a few seconds. Power pulsed through those golden eyes down onto me, pressure so intense that I whispered his name.

He seemed pleased at this, and disappeared the next instant.

Kenoske was there now, too. It was as if he had just arrived. "Are you okay Rukia? You look like you've seen a ghost."

I realized my eyes were still staring at the gates, so I turned and looked towards the worried expression plastered on Kenoske's face.

"Sorry, I got a little... distracted is all," I replied, putting on a genuinely fake smile.

He faltered, wanting to say more. I could see the indecision in his eyes. Finally he let up, and began walking again. I picked up the pace, so that we were walking side-by-side.

The trip into the forest was a slow one. We barely spoke; each of us lost in our thoughts. I wanted to ask him if he lived with anyone else, or if it would just be the two of us. I could feel the static electricity surrounding him as we walked. It made the air around him tingle, as if it was alive.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of silence, we made it to the giant oak tree. Its branches were arched out as if in surrender. The bark was ancient; rustic looking designs covered the old tree. But hidden underneath it all was a cavern. Of course, Kenoske couldn't see it yet. My Genjutsu hid it superbly.

"Where are we?" Kenoske asks, oblivious to the jutsu and looking around. "There's just a bunch of trees here."

I walked closer to the tree, brushing my hand against the invisible chakra and pulling it away. It revealed a deep dark hole, which hid my backpack.

"Wow, I didn't know you knew Genjutsu," Kenoske commented, peeking his head into the cavern.

"Well, Kenoske, you don't know much about me at all," I told him, going inside and grabbing my torn up backpack.

As I lifted it up, however, there was something out of place. My heart froze and blood churned in my veins as I spotted a folded piece of paper lying there. Hesitantly, I reached for it, and walked back into the light of the forest.

"What is it?" Kenoske asked, seeing the obvious puzzlement and fear on my face.

"I'm not sure," I whispered, sitting down at the base of the tree daintily.

I carefully unfolded it, watching as three small vials of liquid fell into my lap. Attached to each was a small chain, just the right length for a necklace. Written on the yellow-tinted paper in elegant scrawl was simply, "Congratulations on graduating." As I read those words, I knew what was in the vials. Blood; my brothers' blood.

A chill ran up my spine. What was he thinking?

"What is it Rukia? Are you okay?" Kenoske asked, interrupting my thoughts. He was standing over me with a worried expression on his face.

"Do you have any family Kenoske?" I asked instead of answering his question.

He seemed startled, but replied, "Yes, I have a twin brother, a younger sister, and an older cousin. They all live with me, why?"

I lifted one of the necklaces daintily, it had Kenoske's name written in kanji on it, and held it out for him. He looked at it cautiously, "What is it?"

"A gift from my brother," I said evenly. He took the necklace, a small jolt of electricity running through the small chain. I carefully put the assigned one around my own neck. The final vial had "Hisana" written in kanji across it. "You must wear it always."

"What why?"

"Because it's a gift from my brother. And you wouldn't want to upset my brother. It even has your name in kanji on the front," I said, getting up and dusting my skirt off. I put the note and Hisana's necklace in my backpack and then slung it over my shoulder.

"Come on, let's get outta here. It's getting dark."

"Wait a minute! Who is this brother of yours anyways?!" Kenoske asked frantically. He moved quickly to catch up with me, the gift from my brother dangling around his neck.

"His name is Uchihara Yuri." My fangs began to tingle at the utterance of his name.

"Okay... that's a start... but why wouldn't I want to upset him? I mean, no offense, but what kind of brother lets his sister live in a tree?" Kenoske asked, bewildered.

I almost growled at him. "You don't understand! Yuri wasn't supposed to know that I was here!"

"...What?"

"Nothing, just forget it. Forget I said anything," I mumbled under my breath, anger at myself and Kenoske flooding through me. I wanted, no _needed_, to bite something. Or tear something in half, preferably Kenoske.

"Please, Rukia, tell me," Kenoske whispered, grabbing my arm lightly; his static electricity attacking my skin all the while. "I'm your teammate. Please."

I looked up at him, fury plain in my eyes. His eyes grew wider, and it was then I realized that with all my frustration I had let the cat out of the bag. Well, not entirely. Reflecting in his honey eyes, I saw my own glaringly red ones.

"You... you..." He stuttered. The hold on my arm was bad enough, but apparently being shocked just increases the electric intensity.

I sighed, gaining control. When I looked at him again, it was only yellow-y sunsets being reflected. "Just don't ask, okay? I'll tell you eventually, alright?"

"But... but..."

"Please," I said, exhaustion hinting my eyes. Today was far too tiring.

He dropped my arm, acknowledging acceptance. I nodded to him. I turned and began walking again, even though I didn't know the way to his house. He stayed a few feet behind at first, but eventually Kenoske got up the courage to walk next to me. My blood was still as fiery as ever, and my eyes had the orange tint they get when I need release. He said nothing.

Eventually, he began to lead the way. The sun was finally nearing the horizon, and it would soon be gone. I decided I'd speak up. I could tell we were nearing his home, because his footsteps got quicker.

"Kenoske, my brother is a killer. That's why you wouldn't want to upset him."

He stopped dead in his tracks. "What?!"

"Shhh, please! I'm only telling you so you know! Jeez. And anyways, pretty soon we'll be killing, too!" I watched him with arrogant eyes. He knew I was right, but he'd never admit it.

"Then why am I wearing this necklace if it's from a killer?" was all Kenoske asked.

"Because, if you don't, he will hurt you," I said simply. A hint of a smile played on my face. "Now please, can we just go to your house? I want to meet your family. Plus, it's starting to get cold." After all, I was wearing a mini-skirt!

With a sigh and a tiny smile, he turned and motioned for me to follow. I knew he had to be contemplating either killing me, kicking me out, or seeing where this would go. We are teammates after all.

Kenoske had an apartment in one of the nicer buildings in Konoha. Before we went in, he told me the layout, although he didn't meet my eyes. There were two bedrooms, one he and his brother shared and one for his sister; a kitchen; two bathrooms; and a living room. His cousin slept on one of the couches in the living room, and I could either sleep on the other one or with his sister. I preferred the couch.

The door to his apartment was sky blue. I could smell food from outside the door. I realized then that I hadn't eaten since breakfast this morning, which wasn't much.

As he opened the door, the smell grew. It was almost intoxicating. I almost forgot about problem, but my fangs were aching so it was hard to ignore. If I got something to eat, though, it would hopefully go away.

"About damn time, Kenoske! Katari already made dinner, so no complaining!" yelled a slightly deep voice from somewhere further in the home.

"Yeah, yeah. Hey can you all come here? I've got a surprise..." Kenoske said, though he didn't sound as enthusiastic as a surprise normally called for.

We walked through a small hallway that led into the living room. There was an older boy lying haphazardly on the sofa. He had black hair, like Kenoske's, but his had brown highlights. His skin tone was slightly darker, too.

"What the hell is it?" came a mumbled, deep voice from a sofa cushion.

"Did you bring me a kitten?!" squealed a girls voice from an adjacent room. I presumed that was the kitchen.

"No, but close," Kenoske said, laughing as his sister popped into view.

Long black, beautiful hair was all I saw at first. Then I noticed her honey eyes, sparkling with mischief. Fair skinned and shorter than myself. When she saw me though, she stopped in her run into the living room, a blush staining her cheeks.

"What is it? Why'd you stop Katari?" spoke another voice from the presumed kitchen area. It was soft, but deeper than Kenoske's.

When he entered the room, I thought I was going to go crazy. His hair was slightly spiked, ends splayed out, and beautifully black. It resembled my brothers, but a different color. Same skin tone as Kenoske, and the same gooey honey eyes. This was Kenoske's twin.

He stopped, too. He looked me up and down, but then his eyes met my own. I couldn't stop staring. It was as if a magnetic force was pushing us together. He took a step forward, and so did I. His eyes shown pure, unadulterated lust. My fangs ached to pierce his beautiful creamy skin. It was too surreal. It was purely instinctual. A primal need.

"Um, are you two okay?" came Kenoske's voice, interrupting the connection.

"Uh... yeah..." spoke his twin, shaking his head. It was still there though. Not as strong, but definitely a prominent feeling and need.

"Well, this is Uchihara Rukia. She's my new teammate and currently has no home, so I figured we had room for one more," Kenoske said smiling.

I took my eyes off the brother long enough to look at the other three members of the room. Katari was still blushing madly, the cousin finally removed his face from the cushion, and Kenoske was standing next to me idly.

I figured it was my turn to speak. "Hi, I don't mean to intrude on your home like this... But it is very nice to meet you all."

There was a pause in the room, then, "Nice to meet you, too. I'm Katari," spoke the blushing sister. I gave her a small smile.

"I'm Masashii, and I guess you're sleeping on the couch next to mine," spoke the cousin, smiling sleepily. He had to be only about a year younger than Yuri, but there was so much difference. He gave me a two-fingered wave, and eyed my skirt.

While the other two family members had remained in their places, the brother came forward. "My name is Kanaye, and you are always welcome here." His voice was melting my insides.

I could feel the awkwardness filling the room, but I was only half aware of it. Kanaye had my full attention.

"Well, I'm starving so let's eat!" Masashii spoke up after a moment.

We all crowded towards the kitchen after I set my backpack on the empty couch. Kanaye still had his eyes on me, and my eyes were definitely on him as we walked. My fangs were achy and not at all happy with me today.

The meal was a simple but delicious one. Cooked rice, green beans, and some odd meat that I devoured without really tasting it. Katari washed the dishes, and Kenoske found me a warm woolen blanket and feather pillow.

I was exhausted, needy, and confused. I sat down on the couch; Masashii was sprawled out on the one next to me. Katari had gone to bed, still blushing lightly. It was slightly unnerving. Kenoske was showering.

I closed my eyes and exhaled. Suddenly, a jolt of static electricity poured into my cheek. My eyes opened, and then I realized Kanaye was standing in front of me. He pushed a strand of hair from my eyes, tucking it neatly behind my ear.

Then, just as suddenly, he took his hand away. My eyes almost pleaded for his touch, even though his packed a far greater jolt than Kenoske's. He smiled sweetly, like he knew something that I didn't and then walked into what I assumed was his bedroom.

I shivered. I slunk into the couch, lying down. I buried my face in the pillow. I covered my entire body with the blanket. I rubbed my face until it hurt, but the memory of his touch was ever-present. My conscience would not let me lose the feeling.

Because it was demonic.

~­_~_~_~

Hisana sighed in what seemed like content; her shift at Ichiraku was finally done for the night. It had been a pretty lax night, so there was plenty of already cooked ramen left over. Her stomach growled anxiously. At least Hisana knew what was for dinner tonight.

"Hisana, be a dear and throw out the rest of the ramen. Of course, you can take some with you, too," said her manager. Hisana had never really figured out his name, but she just called him boss.

"You read my mind, boss. That's creepy, stop it," Hisana said, an almost warm smile on her face as she shook her head and started walking towards the back. Her boss's laughter could probably have been heard across the Leaf Village.

The smell of ramen calmed her mind but enraged her stomach. She would definitely need to take as much as she could. She filled one huge bowl up to the near top with the delicious and steaming ramen.

"Akamatsu Hisana...." said a voice behind her, the words coming out warm and inviting.

"Who is it?" her voice rang out, turning quickly around. There was no fear in her voice though. Just deep emotionlessness.

"Distant family," came the voice, it issued from underneath the figure's hat, the fading light obscuring all but his golden eyes. One arm of the large black Akatsuki cloak raised slowly, his finger pointing at her from underneath.

"I don't have any family," she whispered. Suddenly, Hisana's multi-hued eyes glazed over slightly. She felt as if she was losing control of her body. Her blood began to boil with intensity like no other. Whimpering softly, she glared at the golden eyes.

His arm went back to his side, and his voice came out in the same warm tone. "I am going to ask you a few questions about Uchihara Rukia, and you will answer them to the best of your ability, understand?"

'_The Akatsuki...? Aren't they_...' Hisana's glare intensified. Her body felt rooted to the spot. She struggled, fighting with the unseen force holding her still. There was no getting out of this informal interrogation.

"Where is Uchihara Rukia staying? With Niwa Kenoske?"

Hisana glared, showing defiance. Her eyes though, were dead.

The Akatsuki member appeared right in front of Hisana, his hand removing his hat. His long red hair was pulled back, stray spiky hairs sticking out. He was smiling, his golden eyes completing his warm face. "Maybe I didn't make myself clear...."

His golden eyes disappeared replaced by his Sharingan, the three dots on his eyes spun. Suddenly the two of them were standing on flat black ground, and Hisana found her arms and legs had been bound. His hand went behind his head, and he slowly drew a long pure black Katana. The blade was up against Hisana's throat in an instant. "I will ask one more time, where is Uchihara Rukia staying?"

Hisana glared, this time slight anger seeping into blue and brown. "With the Niwas," she whispered, her gaze meeting the swirling spirals.

The alley behind Ichiraku's rematerialized around them. The sword came away from Hisana's throat, the man bringing its point upwards between them. His other hand came out from underneath his cloak, one of his fingers touching the tip of the blade. A single drop of blood ran down the blade, and the man quickly sheathed his sword. He held his cut finger up to Hisana's mouth, putting less than a drop's worth of blood on the tip of her tongue.

Hisana fell lightly to the ground, mumbling, "What did you do?" Then she slipped into unconsciousness on the cool ground.

The man slowly replaced his hat, then turned and leapt off in the direction of Kenoske's house.


End file.
